THE SHAMROCK OF ASSURANCE
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Introduction - Reformation anniversary.
The Just shall live by faith - This doctrine of justification of faith alone dismissed the uncertainty but brought the blessed assurance of salvation.
Luther’s understanding of this
Delighting in the assurance of which the Lord who is His Shepherd and now his Host bring to David’s heart and mind.
What the Gospel means and does to us.
David being served, being secured, honoured and refreshed by God who has prepared the table before Him in the presence of His enemies.
Do we come with the sense of enjoyment that Jesus loves me.
Assurance is one with 3 elements
1. The essential element in assurance of faith
The performance of God for us.
David potrays the Lord to us not just as his Host but as His Servant. The Yaweh, the Great I am waiting on tables, annointing the head with oil
In the book of Isaiah - the suffering servant of the Lord. Jesus Himself takes up and applies to Himself.
For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Mark 10
He comes humbly. So that the foundation of our faith and the ground of our assurance of salvation
The doing of Jesus
The objective space time historic reality of the person and work of Jesus Christ the suffering servant. Our glorious assurance is fixed upon the doing of Jesus. Ie. what He did in His life. He alone lived the lonely life in history that has perfectly pleased the Father. Only Jesus did the Father’s will perfectly, fulfilled the commission, obeyed the command perfectly.
This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased.
This Son was able to give testimony regarding His life and doing on this earth. He has done all that is required of Him.
I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.
Jesus’ actions pleased the father and His attitude pleased the Father. Attitude was manifested in delight and desire of His heart in doing the will of the Father. Bring pleasure to the Father. ‘Not my will but thine be done’.
This doing of Jesus qualified Him to complete the work that He came to do.
Our assurance of salvation comes from subject doing of Jesus - the life that He lived - and what He said
The declaration of Jesus
Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.”
His declaration -
He promises to give us that which is essential to eternal life.
John
All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.
John 10:27-
And this is the promise that he made to us—eternal life.
1 John 2:25-
He assures us that He will complete the work that He began in us.
The death of Jesus
The cross work of Jesus - the shedding of His blood. Justified by His blood.
Significance of the word blood in Scripture.
(i). Blood is the visible sign of ife violently ended. Greatest sacrifice - giving one’s life.
(ii) Greatest earthly crime or evil is to take someone’s blood/life
Greatest sacrifice - giving one’s life.
(iii) Greatest penalty or loss is to have one’s blood shed or life taken
(iv) The only possible adequate for expiation atonement is blood for blood and life for life.
We can’t atone for someone else’s sins. We can only pay the penalty for sin by our own death.
Jesus endured the penalty of the wrong doer - shedding His blood
Assurance is not based on my experience, emotion or feeling.
Objectively on the facts of Christ Jesus - His coming, living, dying and rising again from the dead.
I go to prepare a place for you - Christ’s work at Calvary is where He prepared heaven for us. Opened heaven’s door for us at Calvary.
2. The evidential element in assurance
Objective Element
He not only prepares a table but He annoints his head with oil. This action is worthy, honourable, acceptable and welcome.
They were set aside for the purpose of God.
NT - symbolism of oil - Jesus was annointed with the Holy Spirit.
We received the gift of the Holy Spirit
The Subjective element of the doctrine of Assurance.
We ought to display by how we live the fruit of the spirit
We apply test in our lives to see if we be in the faith
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.
How can i know if i’ve got eternal life/in Christ?
First, Obedience to the comands of God because we love him
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
Second, the practice of living a righteous and Godly life
If you know that he is righteous, you may be sure that everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.
Thirdly, Radical breach with one’s formal life
No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.
When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Fourthly, We now walk in Love
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God.
The gifts of the Spirit
God also gives us gifts as he wills. And we excercise the gifts of the Spirirt
God also gives us gifts as he wills. And we excercise the gifts of the Spirirt
God enables us to serve one another in love.
The government of the Spirit
To be driven by the spirit of God
How does the Spirit of God govern us?
By the word of Christ being dwelt in us richly (Colossians)
As we walk in the word and as we trust and obey him , then we are giving him evidence that we are Childre of God.
3. Experiential element in assurance
“His cup overflows”
When i think of all the blessing I've received my cup overflows.
The feelings that characteristic a true believer.
A sense of amazement
A sense of amazement that Christ died for me, of awe and wonder at Christ and his blessing
A sense of Abasement
A sense of Abasement
Who am i that this should happen to me; that Christ would love me.
Who am i that this should happen to me; that Christ would love me.
“
A sense of Abandonment
Abandonment of self and everything else do that i may know him and love him and glorify him
persevering in the faith. Perseverance of an evidence of God’s working in us.